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The Dairyman NOVEMBER 2009 5
NEWS
PLANS for a $100 million milk process-
ing plant were unveiled last month to
residents of the small South Waikato
town of Arapuni.
The plant is being developed by specialist
dairy project management company Zoagn
Limited.
Zoagn presented their proposal at the first
of two public meetings held at the Arapuni
Community Hall on October 14. The compa-
ny hopes to begin full production by August
2011, subject to resource consent, and is
working in close consultation with the com-
munity and local residents.
Headed by Cambridge man John Courtney
and business partner Robert Gifford of
Hamilton, the company will be known as the
Arapuni Milk Company.
The company will service the high end of
the export milk market such as products for
infants and nutraceuticals.
"We've got growing and increasing dairy
consumption and overseas companies that
are looking to take products that are not cur-
rently supplied out of New Zealand," said
project spokesman Richard Stapel.
The plant will initially process 220 million
litres of milk and will look for approximate-
ly 90 suppliers living within a 50 kilometre
radius, over the next two to three months.
Mr Stapel said the Arapuni Milk Company
will offer farmers market price for their milk
with financial rewards for higher quality sup-
ply and a secure, long-term supply contract
on terms at least as good as the existing sup-
ply contracts.
Although some residents initially
expressed concerns at having a factory in
close proximity to their homes, these con-
cerns appear to have eased thanks to efforts
by the company to answer resident's ques-
tions and consult with them.
"Last week's meetings went well, we had
more than 100 people the first night and
about 50 at the next meeting, many of those
were new faces but some were people from
the night before with more questions. Both
meetings ended with a lot of discussion. We
had to go through the consultation process
with residents directly affected by the plant,
such as those living nearby. But we decided
we would go into consultation with all the
residents to ensure we heard all of their con-
cerns," said project spokesman Richard
Stapel.
The company will continue to liaise with
residents until November when it will apply
for resource consent, which it hopes to have
by March 2010.
Arapuni farmer and Federated Farmer's
Waikato dairy section chairman James
Houghton said while there had been a few
residents upset with the project, overall there
was positive feedback. "For the community
there is the opportunity of more employment
in the community and farmers welcomed the
competition in the market."
South Waikato District Council chief
executive David Hall expressed similar com-
ments.
"There is no active negativity about it;
generally it is all very positive with people
seeing the benefits such as new employment.
The company is spending this month liaising
with the residents in an open house at
Arapuni."
The company will be the third in the
Waikato to rival Fonterra, behind Tatua and
Open Country Dairy and will look to begin
signing contracts with farmers in the New
Year.
barbarag@value.net.nz
Milk plant receives positive feedback
By
Barbara
Gillham
Hami n
on
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idge
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apuni
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A
P
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P
The small South Waikato town of Arapuni
is the intended location for a $100
million milk processing plant.
'We decided
we would go
into
consultation
with all the
residents to
ensure we
heard all of
their concerns.'
--- Richard Stapel
Arapuni Milk Company
New Zealand owned and operated since 1915.
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